The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Stars And Stripes Volume I, released August 1996.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/starsandstripes.jpg)

Ehhhhhh. Just ehhhhhhh.

Yuck. As is the case with pretty much every single second of released Beach Boys material from the 80s onward, this does nothing for me.

Yeah ??? :P :-\
Nelson, what were you thinking?
Has anyone heard "In My Room" with Tammy Winnette?
Heard it was on a compilation of hers. She would not allow it on
Stars and Stripes. A small clip heard on the DVD. Please don't reply about me owning the DVD.. :-[
I was a gift?.. ;D
Still waiting for vol. 2! ;)
Pete

Caroline No, Warmth of the Sun and In My Room (and Sail on Sailor too!).  The rest are bloody awful.

I don't like it atol, but in retrospect, can you imagine who would be on it now?? Toby Keith, Big & Cheesy, Gretchen Wilson, and to throw in the least country dude, but still a complete redneck- Kid Rock. UGH.
Maybe Stars & Stripes IS a masterpiece? Geez...

THIS is what they can put out instead of one last album???? THIS is what You're Still a Mystery is shelved in favor of?????

For me, this was the absolute end when that happened.  All over but the funeral, which sadly came two years later.

really grat background harmonies :D

Grat indeed.

The gratest.

Just recently got this. The backing voices are beautiful. I was watching a tape recording of the studio footage and it's hard to watch all the boys (well mostly just seeing Brian and Mike) back in the studio cracking up and singing together again, and then soon afterwards they separated. But I enjoyed watching it though. There isn't anything extremley good on this, Caroline No is good but all the others are just like the originals, just different leads. I give it a 3

I really don't get why so many people get their panties into a wad over this album.  The production is pretty good, the harmonies are killer, and quite a few of the vocalists give a good performance.  Lorrie Morgan's vocal on Don't Worry Baby is bitchin'.  409, Little Deuce Coupe, I Get Around, Fun Fun Fun and Warmth of the Sun are all great too.  How about Doug Supernaw doing Long Tall Texan?  That's awesome!

Two messy, greasy thumbs up!  4 stars.

You, sir, are a brave man.

I agree with analogdemon. Stars And Stripes provided some enjoyment. I'm not exactly a country music fan, but I could appreciate the lead vocalists.  Hey, you had contributions from Willie Nelson, Lorrie Morgan, Toby Keith, Collin Raye, and Jimmy Webb (arrangements). That ain't too bad.

Like every Beach Boys' album since 1967, the project would've benefited from some songs that were left off, like Rodney Crowell's "Sail On Sailor" and Tammy Wynette's "In My Room". I know they were planning a Volume 2, but why the shortage of songs? It's not as if the Beach Boys didn't have the material.

I'm not a Joe Thomas basher. I think he did a fine job in his short stint as producer. On Stars And Stripes, he made the Beach Boys sound like, well, the Beach Boys. I don't think Brian (or Carl) could've done that. Going slightly OT, I thought Joe Thomas did a good job on Brian's Imagination album. I don't think he over-produced it, or made it sound too slick. For anyone who thinks he "hindered" Imagination, could you point out specific tracks or parts, 'cause I don't hear it. Was it the overall feel? I think it's the best Brian sounded in his entire solo career, which ain't saying much.

Finally, I liked the Stars And Stripes video. I thought it was well done; a well produced documentary. It was funny and sentimental at the same time. I always enjoy studio and pre-concert footage. The Beach Boys actually looked like normal human beings; not drugged out, back stabbing, lawsuit serving, adversaries. Maybe I was an optimist in 1995-1996, but after watching the video, I felt good about the Beach Boys as a group, as a band, as people. I really thought something might come out of this "reunion"...

Yes, at least for me. It made everything sound like a keyboard sample, even when natural instruments. I just don't like it at all. I just listened again the other day (I don't tend to listen to it much.), and my opinion remains the same. I like about half the songs, but dislike almost everything, production-wise. The drums, the synths...the guitar parts don't even sound like BW guitar-writing, to me. (Maybe he arranged them differently than he previously had, but my guess would be that Thomas or the guitarists themselves did, and he either didn't care or was OK with it.)

Not my thing, that one...

That's Boyd's film. 

I like the album pretty well - i like most of the treatments of the songs, and i love the BBs' backing vocals.  And a couple of the songs - DWB, IMR, CN - are pure magic.  I'm changing my vote, upon reflection, from a 3 to a 4.

Yikes - i can't change my vote!  But if i could, i would.  From a 3 to a 4.

I give a 3
An album that could have been a great one, which would have replaced an even better one (the unfinished nerw BBs-album from the 90s). There are some great cuts from the session, e.g. Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Lorrie Morgan, Doug Supernaw and also Timothy B. Schmitt and I also like Junior Brown's contribution.
I always dream about what this album could have been. I heard the demo of "California" by Al, which is heard in EH, was a demo for Merle Haggard. I also think that before the release of that album names like Hank Williams Jr. were mentioned. I've said this quite often on many boards, I think "Let the wind blow" would have been THE perfect song for Johnny Cash. Add to the great cuts of the original album, plus Haggard, George Jones doing "God only knows", Jerry Lee Lewis with "Got to know the woman" and let Bobby Bare sing one of the car songs, while Kris Kristofferson might have done "Forever" and it would have been a great album imho
The tracklist seems to show who as responsible for the kind of songs which were recorded. And also the liner notes have that Mike Love-touch with "it sure was fun in the sun". Boy, I can't stand this crap (apologies if they weren't Mike's, but I hate them anyway).

I gave it a 0.  It's not a Beach Boys album after all.  If it were, I would actually get to hear some great BB vocals.  Instead, I get to listen to them in background. No thanks.  I don't even own it anymore.  I don't care if it becames a rarity worth money (which it obviously hasn't as I have seen it many times still in a local used cd store).

Good harmonies, bad idea.

15 Big Ones of the 90's.

Willie did a nice job. But I didn't need the nutritional drink coupon.

Just okay. I never listen to it. I give it a 2 for the background.

Just reeks of desperation, trying to cash in on the country craze brought in by Garth Brooks. "Here Comes The Night" all over again.

You know what? No. F it. I'm giving it a 1.

Although the doc was pretty good. Nice to see Mike and Bri BSing together. And Mike acting like a jackass in front of Willie Nelson.

Okay, I'm based on that I'm going back to my original statement. 2.

I just got it at the mall today (didn't listen to it yet, though).. I thought they stopped selling this album years ago?

EDIT: I listened.. and I just have to ask myself - Why? This is so unsatisfying, so pointless.. and any album where Long Tall Texan is my favorite song is a bad one indeed! The bass in Sloop John B is pretty good, though.

2 stars.

Hate this missed chance at greatness if Paley stuff had been recorded and real instruments used. This was the dumbest thing ever. They sing ok on it but when I know what could have been. I couldn't bearly play it. This was the worst move they ever made if not their worst recording (damn close though) Dvd is ok for historical purposes.

I find after repeated listens I tend to warm up to anything.

The ending of Caroline No is amazing, is that Brian that keeps on wailing "Caroline no! Caroline no!" ? Beautiful.

But I still think it's a pointless album.

Not bad but nothing special. 409, I Get Around and Be True To Your School are my favourites.

Thought I'd add my two cents/penneth/euros worth in here - and if you take away the fact that its credited as a BB release then its a damn fine country crossover collection - its just that as BB collectors we expect that little bit more. As a compilation of country artists I'd give it 5 out of 5 but as a BB release ... hmmmm ... 2 ?? 3 ??? Not sure ...

Remove Long Tall Texan, I Get Around and the execrable version of Be True to Your School. Replace with In My Room, Sail on Sailor and California and it might have been passable. 

Horrible. The aural equivalent to a leaky colostomy bag. The only good points are "Caroline No" "Warmth of the Sun" "I Can Hear Music" and I guess "Sloop John B". That, and the disc makes a decent weapon if tossed just right.

This was their last chance of ever recording an album with a line-up worthy of the BB name and they blew it. With a pointless album with mostly soulless re-recordings.

If you can find this album somewhere for just a few bucks, it's worth it for The Warmth Of The Sun and Caroline No, but apart from those two songs: really bad album.

i saw on amazon where they re-packaged this & called it beach boys with special guests or something...that's sad.

Agreed punkinhead.

I gave this album a 3. It's not as bad as some make out. To me, this album feels like an "Amercian Country Idol" with the Beach Boys doing a fantastic job on backup vox. It was never going to take music to another level like Pet Sounds, *BUT* it got the boys back together in the studio trying to do something new that they hadn't done before. And it was nice to see them in great spirits. It's just a shame that after this, everything fell apart.

The only criminal thing about this album is that "Sail On, Sailor", "In My Room" and the proposed songs (Surfer Girl and California) could not have been exchanged for say...

1. Long Tall Texan - Dear God, what a joke
2. Sloop John B - Almost as bad as hearing Barbara Ann all the damn time

I wonder what Vol. 2 would've had in store...  ::)

sad album, but not why you think. Makes me so sad to ALMOST hear what these guys could still sound like together in the studio in 1995.  The BGV's (esp Warmth of the Sun, Caroline, No & Don't Worry Baby) are unbelievable, if you can get past all of the lead vocals.  Again, what could have been...

I gave this album a 3.  My favorite tracks are Caroline, No and Don't Worry Baby. 

Warmth of the Sun is shockingly great - especially since I can't tolerate Willie Nelson!

Probably the only 'BBs' album I can live without, maybe something good can be done with a remix - replace the guests with new vocals by the band? That would perhaps provide useful modern sounding versions of these classics. Having Carl in there somewhere is obviously a bonus.

Personally I enjoyed the re-make of "Fun Fun Fun" with Status Quo which was made around the same time better.

"Fun Fun Fun" is the only song I've ever heard by Status Quo.

consequently, I hate Status Quo.

I put this in on a little drive when I was really tired after work, it kept me up cuz I hadn't heard it in years and actually had me listening, just for the BB's vocals.

I don't consider this to be an legitimate proper Beach Boys album, more as country style Tribute compilation with the Beach Boys behind it.

The Warmth Of The Sun is easily the highlight, though give me the original anyday!

1 out of 5. It's still a better album than SIP, 15 Big Ones and KTSA. But I still don't consider this as part of the Beach Boys canon.

It's co-produced by Brian Wilson and features all of the living members of the group on nearly every song. Seems close enough to me.

Not a Beach Boys album. Not a good tribute album. Country Style Beach Boys not a good concept. Just no. Zero.

This album gets a pretty unfair rap. It's better than Summer in Paradise. It has BB vocals. Some of the artists paying tribute give some really great performances. Now that it's not the last word in the BB lexicon I think we can afford a more generous appraisal.

3 stars for me.

i think the guys were on the right track with the idea, some of the arrangements are great, as in DWB, caroline, 409....

the rest are a little ho hum....

maybe a better selection of artists may have been better...... I guess they were going for the new country sound with what
I would say were 'so so' artists.....
I really only dig DWB on the set....... but the vocals from the boys are bloody great I thinks....

a pity sail on sailor never made it........

RickB

3/5  I much prefer the video to the LP.  Some artists were poor choices to participate also.. James House + Doug Superknaw + Junior Brown among others make no sense to me.. Doing a live concert with guest artists I would also prefer than studio versions.. Carl is also absent on a couple things and was starting to miss stuff by 1995 so maybe he was ill.. We will never know.. I bet Mike thinks this a fine record.. Nascar to.. Should have recorded the Don Was + Andy Paley stuff instead another missed opportunity .. 

I have to agree with the consensus. This had absolutely no reason to exist, and the fact that it was almost their last album ever is scary and kinda pathetic. Lucky TWGMTR saved them from that final disgrace. But seriously, after the absolute humiliation of SIP...this was the best they could do? Not even an attempt at creativity or redemption or ANYTHING? Really?

0/5

I agree with you 100%. There was a chance at cutting some really great stuff with Was/Paley - at least based on the 2 songs they did do, Soul Searchin' and Still a Mystery. The band had become a joke by the time this cd came out, the only new stuff us fans had to enjoy in the early/mid-90's was the 2 Brian albums in 95.

I think the main problem with this is the crossover appeal just isn't there. Who do Beach Boys fans want to hear perform these songs? The Beach Boys. Who do country fans want to hear perform these songs? Well, if they're not at all keen on the Beach Boys, no one. If they kinda like them, refer to question 1.

:lol Hey Billy, quit stealin' my thunder!  ;)...oops, forgot this is an old thread that doesn't qualify for new comments. ::)

Hearing this the night after I listened to Summer in Paradise, I can make at least one positive comment on it: the snare drum doesn't sound like it is mixed at 11 with everything else being at 3. It is real instruments, and they are played reasonably well. But these journeymen country singers are not who the BB's should have been recording with - assuming that they needed to do a project like this in the first place. Willie sounds great on Warmth of the Sun - second great version of this song in a year, following Brian's version on IJWMFTT. But where was Waylon Jennings? Merle Haggard? They had a version of In My Room with Tammy Wynette, but I guess they decided it was too good for this album. It would have been nice for Carl's last record with the group to be a good one, and yes, the Boys do sound good here, but I would rather hear them as the lead singers. Carl still sounded great in 1990-whatever, Al still sounded great, Brian did some amazing vocals on Orange Crate Art. Gonna be a long time till we get another Beach Boys album.

I gave it a one for the fun version of I Get Around.
I can't stand country and most of the other tracks were awful, especially Willie Nelson.
Mike had every right to shut him down in the studio. It was terrible.